READ ME
ANOTHER ONE:
Cindy Erickson reads a story to the children who came to story hour
Saturday morning in the USU Bookstore. The bookstore has story time
every second Saturday of the month. The kids get read to, do a small
activity, and then get a treat. / Photo by Amy Fuller

River
Heights residents urged to speak up for bus route01/31/03 River Heights
resident Michael Yancey told the City Council Tuesday evening that
they ought to voice their opinions about the need for a route through
their city. This can be done, he said, at a public meeting held by
the Cache Valley Transit District and Logan Transit District on Feb.
3. Yancey serves on the CVTD advisory board. / By Mark LaRocco

Habitat
for Humanity looking for leadership, helping hands01/30/03Rosemary Hattgar seemed
a little discouraged Tuesday night. The Utah State University junior
sat on a low chair in the Christensen Service Center on the third
floor of the Taggert Student Center at 10 minutes after 7 and laughed
a little as she looked around. / By Jasmine Michaelson

ACCESS
DENIED:The
North Logan library has been the center of attention in a county-wide
debate over library access. / Photo by Toby G. Hayes

North
Logan library debate becomes county issue01/29/03LOGAN ≠ Access
to a library is not an option for many Cache Valley residents. Non
existence of a county wide library system leaves rural communities
without reading resources. / By Toby G. Hayes

LIPLOCK:
Students become True Aggies at midnight Saturday in a group kiss at
the "A" on the Quad. Shortly after this picture was taken,
three naked men streaked the scene. / Photo by Amy Fuller

Smithfield
Council nixes C-store owner's request01/24/03SMITHFIELD -- Convenience
store owner Gary Andersen pleaded his case to the City Council last
night and lost. Andersen appealed the city council's decision for
a 10-foot planting area located in front of his business at 200 North
Main St./ By Traci Fowler

Paradise
grows 25 percent01/23/03PARADISE -- The size of
Paradise increased by about 25 percent Wednesday with the unanimous
approval of the Town Council to annex two pieces of property. /
By Landon Olson

Love
(and change) your country, King vigil crowd is told01/23/03
Utah State
University students and faculty filled the Sunburst Lounge Tuesday
night for a candlelight vigil put on by the USU Black Student Union
and Multicultural Student Services in honor of Martin Luther King,
Jr. Day. / By Jasmine Michaelson

Logan
marchers ask to 'Give Peace a Chance'01/22/03
LOGAN--Childen,
parents, grandparents, dogs and "peddlers for peace" turned
out Saturday in Logan for a march and rally in opposition to the prospect
of a second Gulf War against Saddam Hussein in Iraq.

Millville
protests DWR's unannounced closure of canyon01/17/03
MILLVILLE
-- Temporary restricted access to Millville Canyon by the Division
of Wildlife Resources--minus the asking or notifying of city officials--brought
residents of various ages to Thursday's Millville City Council meeting.
/ By Hilary Dunn

Ribbon
snipped to open fitness center01/17/03
A
Utah State University President Kermit Hall and two representatives
of student government cut the ribbon Wednesday on the new Nelson Field
House Fitness Center Wednesday. / By Jasmine Michaelson

African
dance class offered at USU01/17/03
A
woman called out from behind the crowd--an animal-like sound. But
before anyone had a chance to look back to see where it came from,
four women were dancing out onto the floor, completely uninhibited,
barefoot, in black tank tops and brightly colored sarongs and beaded
necklaces. / By Jasmine Michaelson

The Oneida Stake
Academy in Preston, Idaho, was constructed in 1895 and helped educate
several LDS Church leaders, including Harold B. Lee and Ezra Taft
Benson. The building is at risk of being torn down as the adjacent
Preston High School is looking to expand. / Photo by Toby G. Hayes

Historic
LDS building in danger of being torn down01/17/03
PRESTON,
Idaho ≠ In the Idaho end of the Cache Valley lies a piece of history
that has almost been forgotten. Built in 1895, this little schoolhouse
that helped shape the lives of two LDS Church presidents and gave
shape to the Church Education System is at risk of being demolished.
/ By Toby G. Hayes

Hopi
images display rapport with 'slightly cracked' photographer01/17/03
As the legend
goes, Kate Cory bought a round-trip ticket from New York in 1904 to
go on a Western art tour and never used the return ticket, says English
professor Melody Graulich. Cory found the life of the Hopi appealing
and rejected 20th century conveniences. / By Jill Heffner

Pondering
Einstein's Equations? Jamie Jorgensen's software can help01/17/03
As
you float off toward the writhing nuclear mass of the sun, ignorance
will be neither excuse nor comfort. Fortunately, Jamie Jorgensen,
an undergraduate student at USU, has created some software that can
help us understand the Earth's gravitational field and Einstein's
Equations. / By Marshall Thompson

Students
apply theory to reality in political analysis class01/17/03
Thirty-one future political
science majors were baptized into the arena of political analysis
last semester at Utah State University. Each undertook an in-depth
evaluation of a competitive congressional or gubernatorial election
race and predicted the outcome. / By Melanie Steele

WINTER
STEAM-UP:
A replica of the Jupiter engine of the Central Pacific fires its boilers
shortly before New Year at Promontory, Utah. / Photo by John Cushman

Richard
Luff: Fighting pollution with biology01/17/03Researchers and
students at Utah State University are working to insure the clean-up
of environmental disasters--such as oil spills and other forms of
soil and water pollution--with biological solutions. / By Matt
Stephens

Cherri
Holbrook's Head Start research links language development and storytime01/17/03
As
a small child, Cherri Holbrook was read to frequently. She grew up
on Dr. Seuss (his "funky language" making his books clearly
her favorites), Ramona Quimby, and the Box Car Children.
Her own and her siblings' reading levels were always significantly
higher than class average, she says. / By Andrea Nixon

Pacanos
gets 1-15 years for securities fraud01/13/03
LOGAN --
First District Court Judge Gordon Low sentenced Eugene Pacanos of
California to one to 15 years of work-release prison for 2nd degree
felony securities fraud and theft Monday./ By Jasmine Michaelson

Wellsville
opening a third well to keep town from going dry01/09/03
WELLSVILLE
-- In August of 2001, Wellsville's city manager went to check a water
pump that wasn't working and discovered the gravel pit tank was empty.
"It was very frightening to see you don't have the water you need,"
Don Hartle said. / By Karina Fain

Features

Lessons
learned on the beauty pageant circuit01/31/03
I first developed a love for competing in pageants the summer I turned
15, when I participated in the Miss Teen of Washington Pageant. I
was the youngest contestant, not to mention the tallest, the skinniest,
and one of the only girls with braces. Needless to say, I stuck out
like a sore thumb. / By Shante' Tinsley

Why
is McCall Staheli happy all the time?01/30/03This
small-town girl from Payson is anything but ordinary. Her smile is
infectious and spreads like wildfire to everyone she passes by. A
person just can't help but wonder why McCall Staheli is so happy all
the time. / By Ginger Kelley

Life
with a sibling in a wheelchair01/28/03I don't know how
many times I've been asked what it's like living with my brother.
And in my 22 years I have yet to come up with an accurate description
to answer that question. He's special, he's different, and he's my
brother. Is there really anymore to it than that? / By Shante'
Tinsley

OH, TO
BE A DOG:
When the sun shines, it's dog weather -- perfect for playing in the
snow. Bailey the retriever enjoys the Sinks. / Photo by John Cushman

Traveling
that long road to recovery01/27/03Brittany Stoddard
loves frogs. Of course, the only ones she has are stuffed or ceramic.
Her 8-year-old sister Danielle colored a frog picture for her that
hangs on the wall at the end of her bed. Several stuffed frogs lounge
around on her bed and even the "hear no evil, see no evil, speak no
evil" frogs reside on her TV. / By Ginger Kelley

Hawaiian
shirt will help master's student say 'Aloha' to graduate school01/17/03They say clothes
make the man. But to Tim Trask, clothes are making him a step closer
to a master’s degree. “You have everyone from CEOs of
companies to students who are wearing Hawaiian shirts,” said
Trask, a Utah State University master’s student, writing his
thesis on the history and cultural impact of the island garb. /
By Toby G. Hayes

Mother
and daughter compare campus life 25 years later01/17/03Lynda Burton Blau decided
to come Utah State University in 1975 from Salt Lake City. She chose
to come because it was away from home but close enough that she could
go home if she needed to. Lynda compares her educational experience
to what it is today and confesses that things were a lot easier when
she went to school./ By Lindsey Blau

Photographer
Marci McPherson mixes art and research01/16/03It wasn't until
her senior year at Utah State that Marci McPherson found her passion
in life. After majoring in philosophy, English teaching and theater
education, she went into illustration. As part of her curriculum,
Marci took photography--and loved it. / By Ginger Kelley

Cancer
patients and their families find support in many places01/15/03Oct. 15, 1998,
started out as a normal day for Ogden resident Frank McFarland. He
got up, got dressed, and went to the doctor for a quick check-up before
heading to Snow Basin to ski with some friends. However, Frank never
made it to the ski hill. / By Sarah
Dallof

WAHOO!:
Doug Robinson and Natalie Norr get a face full of snow on their late
Friday/early Saturday ride down Old Main Hill. Below, the hill became
a bustle of activity Saturday afternoon after the first big snowstorm
of the year. / Photos by Amy Fuller

Theurer's
Market in Lewiston, doing business for 67 years01/13/03
LEWISTON -- The first store I saw upon arrival in Lewiston was Theurer's
Market, the 1935 expansion of a Providence store owned by Henry Theurer.
It may not be the perfect place to get Christmas gifts, but the market
has everything for one's day-to-day needs. / By Joseph M. Dougherty

Gay
in Utah -- growing up, coming out01/13/03
Imagine what it's like to be different. No, I mean really different.
So different that at times you are afraid to let others in and see
who you really are. Not exactly the lifestyle you were hoping for?
For many gays and lesbians, this is their reality. Some feel it is
their only option. / By Shalee Sucher

Canadian
students fly south to Utah for college01/08/03Just as
Canadian geese fly south of the border, many Canadian students are
flocking to American colleges and universities for reasons such as
religion, weather and fun./ By Amanda Davis

Sports

CONGESTION
IN THE LANE: Off
an offensive rebound, USU's Cardell Butler goes up for a short jumper
over a few Cal State Fullerton defenders in USU's 61-60 victory Jan.
25 at the Spectrum. / Photo by Cory Hill

New
kickboxers 'amazed' at fieldhouse workout01/24/03
Jessica Clark leads her counterparts through various drills and exercises
ranging anywhere from warm-up stretches to a very vigorous set of
punching and kicking combinations. / By Skeeter Ellison

Snowshoe
in the moonlight with ORC01/16/03
The Outdoor Recreational Center (ORC) is holding an annual four-hour
moonlight snowshoe hike starting at 6 p.m. Saturday.The staff at ORC
has put together this trip each year since the ORC was first created
in hopes that all who need a renewal of existence may come and enjoy
the majestic beauty in Cache Valley. / By Skeeter Ellison

COME ON
IN:
Bryan Nelson, a freshman at USU, checks a student's ID card at the
front desk in the Fieldhouse's new Fitness Center. Each student must
have a valid USU ID cards to come and work out. Below, elliptical
runners take advantage of the new equipment. / Photo by Amy Fuller

How
you gonna keep them down on the farm? Just ask Libbie Gittins01/30/03Even if
she tried she never would escape it. Whether it was teaching 4-H,
spending countless hours in the kitchen canning food or helping out
at the county fair, Elizabeth Gittins always wound up embracing her
agricultural heritage. / By Sharalyn Hartwell

Straightedger:
Getting in (and out) of the gang01/30/03
Kiss
my hand, Ryan can remember his friend saying to a petrified high school
kid in a park a few years ago.Ryan
Poland and his friends had caught the boys apparently picking on some
younger kids. But Ryan and his friends weren't just average teens
hanging out. They were members of a movement called Straightedge,
which was known for violence. / By Marshall Thompson

"GUNG-HEY-FAT-CHOYĒ
(HAPPY NEW YEAR):
Jesse (7) and Phylicia (5) Flores of Logan look in the lion's mouth
that was displayed at the Whittier community center Saturday afternoon.
The lion's head is used during The Lion Dance to celebrate the Chinese
New Year. Trained dancers/marshal artists get in a line, one dancer
puts on a lion's head and the others hold the tail. The ceremony starts
at midnight and once the dance begins the lion must always keep moving.
The dance is supposed to scare away evil spirits and bring good luck
for the New Year. Strings inside the head make the ears wiggle and
the eyes blink. / Photo by Amy Fuller

Love
and forgiveness bring redemption from harrowing street life01/22/03
She never wanted to be a wife or mother. She only wanted to get high.
Then she met her husband and had something worth living for. Believing
she would never live past age 20, Jennifer Hoffman is now all of the
things she thought she could never be. At 31, she is a wife, mother,
and no longer a drug addict./ By Jessica Kelly

Writing
a better ending to the old tale of 'the puppy and the pee'01/13/03
The day has finally come. All the necessary preparations have been
made and excitement and anticipation fill the air. It is time to bring
home the puppy. Everything is going great and the puppy is, of course,
cute as a button. There's only one problem. Buddy won't stop leaving
presents in shoes, on the rug, or in other various locations scattered
strategically around the house. / By Patty Welch

Stuck
with the infamous Freshman 15? Here's some help01/08/03Between all the classes,
homework, papers, work and roommates, what college student really
has time to exercise? The "freshman 15" has become infamous, and if
you're not careful, will become unavoidable. / By Jamie Baer

Opinion

Bill
Mauldin (1921-2003) knew absurdity of war01/23/03
The last regiments are marching over the final hill. With the passing
Wednesday of World War II cartoonist Bill Mauldin from Alzheimer's
disease and its complications, the roster of journalists who had first-hand
experience covering the pivotal event of the 20th century grows ever
more tiny. / By Mike Sweeney

'Must
it take my whole life, this cry for peace'01/21/03
VANCOUVER, B.C. -- Percy Sledge's "When A Man Loves A Woman" is playing
on the radio. On Saturday nights we listen to a program that is popular
across Canada. It celebrates the Fifties, some of the Sixties and
the innate, North American Right to complain about anything in the
world. / By Sherry King

A
note to freshmen from a senior: You will survive01/14/03
I remember walking around campus, my nose buried in my schedule, praying
hard I wouldnít get lost. I was a freshman. Yes, starting college
was a little scary and I felt out of place. To make it worse, I thought
I was the only one who felt that way and I thought I must not be normal./
By Janice Schofield

Democracy
still a four-letter word in rural China01/09/03
One rule of thumb for most foreigners in China is that you don't discuss
the idea of individual rights and freedoms--or what we plainly call
democracy--with the locals. It's that simple./
By Leon D' Souza

Letters to the Editor

Weaknesses in 'American
Idol?' There are none to show me, says Missouri fan

Absolutely nothing is wrong with American Idol! Why is it,
that when someone feels the need to write about Kelly and Justin,
they make it sound like they are not credible as artists??!! Give
me a break!!

"Kelly Clarkson’s career lies in the thin balance of her
next single. After being ill, keeping up with appearances, filming
for a made for TV American Idol movie, and having to clear
up false allegations that there is a romance between her and Justin,
she hasn't had time to find the perfect sappy power-ballad that will
send her career into two-hit-wonder status (I told you I was a fan)."

First off, I voted them into their positions. I love them BOTH, and
I am VERY anxiously awaiting their CD's. However, most of what they
are doing right now, is not of their deciding. It's management. They
are graciously along for the ride, and a bumpy one it's been to start!
It just appears that some people voted for them, so they would have
something else to aim at . . . for target practice! Let's put this
into perspective. When I taught my children to walk, I didn't do it
to push them down . . . for a good laugh!

Last . . . "Made for TV American Idol Movie"??? Low blow!
You're shooting them out of the water before they had a chance to
swim!
Sit back, grab some popcorn and a Coke. Forget about the war going
on outside, or inside for some. Smile at the actors/actresses, enjoy
the great music. There . . . that isn't going to hurt, is it?!

Peace, Lisa Hunsel
Independence, Mo ~37~

What's
wrong with American Idol? (see Les Roka's commentary, below)

Jan. 30, 2003 -- In the film Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
the audience learns of the life and times of Chuck Barris, a man
whom I would consider a forefather of reality television. Mr. Barris
is the creator of such television programming as The Dating
Game, The Newlywed Game and probably his most famous creation
The Gong Show.

After seeing the Confessions and learning the concept
behind The Gong Show (being that it aired and was canceled
long before I was even conceived.), I was rather awestruck to see
how such a concept has evolved to become one of my favorite shows:
American Idol.

Oh yes, American Idol, the television sensation that
allows viewers to talk about something less profound than the Middle
East at the water cooler the next morning. Americaís obsession with
Idol is a sheer phenomenon; people who refuse to vote for
a President of the United States will call in to cheer on Kelly,
Justin, or even poor Tamyra (I am still bitter about that one).

After reading the article by Les Roka (see ARTS, Jan. 24), I was
rather taken back that somebody would be against the concept of
American Idol. Isnít that un-American? Understand, I completely
respect Professor Rokaís opinion, being that he currently controls
my grade, but I think that his idea of what American Idol
and Simon Cowell means to viewers maybe a little skewed. American
Idol isnít understood to be the be-all end-all source and authority
on talent, thatís what TRL is for. I also believe that
Mr. Cowell is seen to be nothing more than a sharp-tongued gong.

I, as a viewer, donít take Mr. Cowell as serious music critic.
Much like, I donít see his lineup of clients as serious musicians.
I believe that the 30-million viewer strong American Idol
phenomenon is sparked by Americaís need too escape. They want to
escape from the world of lying CEOs and pre-emptive strikes and
relax to the tunes of bad over-stylized cover songs. I mean, letís
face facts; Justin Guarini is much easier to look at than Hans Blix.

Kelly Clarksonís career lies in the thin balance of her next single.
After being ill, keeping up with appearances, filming for a made
for TV American Idol movie, and having to clear up false allegations
that there is a romance between her and Justin, she hasnít had time
to find the perfect sappy power-ballad that will send her career
into two-hit-wonder status (I told you I was a fan).

The show, in my opinion, has simply given young people a new way
to become a pop-star. Before American Idol, the path to
bubble-gum stardom was set. For young girls, all you had to do was
wear low-rider jeans, a skimpy top, and have shirtless backup dancers.
Young men found themselves getting with four of their best-looking
friends and eventually suing their manager. Lou Pearlman fights
more lawsuits from young boys than the Catholic Church.

Pop music post September 11th, has been facing a backlash. Listeners,
with the dawn of artists like Avril Lavine and Alicia Keys, have
started demanding substance. I personally hold Carson Daly responsible.
The pendulum is swinging back to music requiring a message rather
than a jovial mood. This same thing happened back in the days of
Kurt Cobain, and we all know how that worked out. Vocal technique
hasnít been a major concern for pop artists since the birth of MTV.
Itís all about image, just ask Milli Vanilli.

With war looming, and our economy going down the proverbial toilet,
American Idol gives itís viewers a chance to escape. It
gives young people a fantasy that they can be Americaís Idol and
Simon Cowell gives the country somebody to despise whose name we
can actually pronounce.

So as for me, I think that I will enjoy the glorified Gong show
for as long as FOX producers will allow and I will listen to Simon
Cowell, with a grain of salt, for as long as Paula Abdul will allow.

-- Cy Martz is a USU student from Brigham
City

Arts

Simon
Cowell's false 'Idol'01/24/03
America's love affair with manufactured pop apparently has blossomed
once again as the second-season opener of Fox's American Idol
scored big on its overnight Nielsen ratings. Or is this another manipulated
ploy to rejuvenate pop's sagging market share? / By Les Roka

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